"You won't solve it without me": a law enforcement officer was detained in Volyn for extorting UAH 200,000 from a serviceman

In Volyn, a law enforcement officer demanded 200,000 hryvnias from a serviceman for promising to influence his transfer from the combat zone to a rear unit. This was reported on the website of the State Bureau of Investigation, according to UNN.

Details

As investigators established, the first deputy head of one of the departments learned that the military man wanted to change his place of service. The man, according to the investigation, sought to transfer from a unit performing combat missions to a unit in the Volyn region.

After this, the official stated that he could "facilitate" such a transfer. Separately, he also voiced another promise: to help in the subsequent acquisition of the status of "limitedly fit." Thus, the suspect tried to create the impression in the serviceman that without his personal assistance, the matter would not move from a dead end.

For his "services," the law enforcement officer demanded a bribe of 200,000 hryvnias. At the same time, he insisted that the military man would not be able to resolve the transfer issue on his own.

Investigators paid special attention to the method of obtaining funds. The money was not transferred in one payment, but in several parts. In addition, transfers were to be made to different bank accounts. Such a scheme, according to the logic of the investigation, could have been used to complicate the tracking of money movement and the demarcation of individual episodes of money transfer.

Law enforcement officers detained the suspect after the last transfer of funds in the amount of 100,000 hryvnias. This episode became the basis for procedural actions within the framework of criminal proceedings.

Currently, details regarding other transfers, as well as the role of possible intermediaries or persons who could have provided accounts or assisted with the organization of payments, are being clarified. Investigators are checking whether this is an isolated case, or whether the suspect is involved in several other extortion episodes.

Currently, the official is charged with receiving undue benefit for influencing a decision by a person authorized to perform state functions, combined with demanding such benefit (Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The sanction of this article provides for up to 8 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The suspect official is currently under house arrest. 

Recall

Earlier, NABU and SAP announced suspicion to the former head of the State Border Guard Service and a current official of the SBGS. They were exposed for systematically receiving undue benefits for facilitating unhindered border crossing.